Electrical test clip



Feb. 17,i w48.

C. C. WRIGHT ELECTRICAL TEST CLIP Filed Dec. 1, 1944 mm N Patented Feb.17, 1948 2,43s.2so Y ELECTRICAL TEST CLIP Clifton C. Wright, Chicago,n1., assigner te Rapid Specialties Company, a corporation of IllinoisApplication December 1, 1944, Serial No. 566,152`

In Vthe manufacture of electrical apparatus, equipment or products agreat deal of testing must be done, requiring apparatuses or devices tobe Vconnected in a circuit containing an electric meter. Little clipsare commonly used in making such connections. Although a great varietyof such clips are available, I know of none which is not open to some`serious objection such, for example, as being time wasting, requiringtoo much attention on the part of the user, having only a limited fieldof usefulness so that it may be, necessary to pick up several before theright one is found, getting out of order easily and being diilicult torestore to a satisfactory working condition when they need it.

The object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novelclip free from all of the faults and limitations inherent in priordevices, especially those just mentioned.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity inthe claims; but,fora full understanding of the invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 are, respectively, a side view,

3 Claims. (Cl. 173-273) on the adjacent face of member I; the projectionbeingv loosely entered in the socket.

The contact piece I is provided with a headed stud 6 fixed theretobetween the ends of the piece, preferably nearer the hinge end than theother, and extending through a hole 1 in contact piece 2,: the studbeing much longer than the thickness of the latter contact piece.vEngaged with the outer face of and extending lengthwise of member anedge view and a top plan View of a preferred form of my device; Fig. 4is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 ofFig. 4; Fig. 6 is an elevational view of one of the contact pieces orngers; and Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the leaf spring that holdsthe contact pieces yieldingly in face to face engagement with eachother.

Referring to the drawing, I and 2 are a pair of contact pieces or ngerscomposed of flat strips of metal adapted normally to lie face to face,in contact with each other. At one end the pieces are curved outwardly,away from each other, as indicated at 3, to provide a flaring mouth intowhich a wire or a blade-like terminal may be inserted. These contactpieces are connected together at the other end by a hinge joint topermit relative rocking movements in the direction to shift their freeends toward and away from each other. The hinge joint is preferably of aspecialV type to permit relative bodily movements of the hinge ends ofthe contact pieces from and toward each other and complete separationthereof, when desired. In the arrangement shown, the hinge jointcomprises a socket 4 in the inner or under face of member 2 and a smallprojection 5 2 is a bow shaped leaf spring 8 through a hole 9 at themiddle ofv which the stud passes; the spring being under an initialstress so that the ends thereof thrust against the outer face of member2 while its middle .portion presses outwardly against the head on thestud. The spring contains at the hinge end of the device a small hole I0into which a little pin or projection Il on the contact piece extends.

The holes 1 and 9 are preferably as wide as the diameter of the stud andsomewhat longer in thedirection of the length of the Contact piece; anelongation of about ten thousandths of an inch being usually suicient.Likewise, the hole IU in the spring is a little longer, in the directionof the length of the spring than the diameter of the pin or projection II. that cooperates with this hole;

The pins 5 and II are preferably integral parts of members I and 2,respectively, formed by applying pressure against one side of eachmember to create a socket and to cause the metal displaced in the makingof the socket to protrude beyond the other side or face as a pin orprojection. Thus the socket 4 and the pin or projection II are theresult of a single pressing operation.

The contact piece I is provided at the hinge end with an extension I2that is bent laterally at right angles to form a foot or base. The partI2 contains a hole I3 through which a terminal element or binding poston a meter may be slipped; so that, upon applyingthe usual nut to suchelement, the'clip is mechanically and electrically connected to themeter. Or, if necessary or desirable, the clip may be fastened to abench or other support by means of a screw engaged in hole I3; and, if awire has previously been inserted beneath the foot or base I2, anelectrically conductive connection between the same and the clip win beestablished simuitaneouny with the securing of the clip to the support.

In using the clip, the wire or other terminal element is simply presseddown between and below the diverging ends 3 of the members I and 2, andis afterwards simply pulled out again upon the completion of the testbeing madethere lit being no need to spread the contact pieces apartbefore the wire or terminal is inserted. In the case of a stiff element,such as a blade or a heavy wire, only one hand need be used to insert itin the clip. On the other hand, a ne wire must be held in both hands toattach it.

Because of the loose connections between the two contact pieces orfingers, they will grip a fine wire or a heavy wire equally well, bothfrom the standpoint of A .fa mechanical fastening and that ofagoodelecti'icall'y conductive connection. I have used the same clipwith very ne wires and with Wires one eighth of an inch thick, l

If the strength of the spring diminishes objec` tionably after prolongeduse, the fault can be .prising twocontact `pieces lying fiat againsteach corrected quickly and easily. The lower kend of the spring may belifted oil' the `projection i i and the spring be swung about the stud 6as an axis into a position transverse to l`the contact pieces. f

While in this new position the spring may be bent to a sharper curvatureso that, upon restor' ing it to its original, normal working position,it fexerts a greater jpress'ureon -the 'contactpieces than before.

"It fwill also be seen Athat after the spring has been iunl'atched andturn'edfcro'sswise ofthe contact pieces, the member 2 can 'be liftedclear of the pin or projection 5 and then be turned so as to lie'crosswi'seof 'the cooperating member I. By this means vthefcooper'atingfaces 'onthe two contact p'ieces are 'exposed sothat they can beleasilycleaned and be i'n vperfect working order when the partsof the cliparerestored vto their working positions relative to each other.

'While lI have :illustrated and described with particularity only "asingle preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not #desire to belimited to the exact Adetails V*thus illustrated and described; biitintend to 'cover all forms and arrangements coming Within thedefinitions of Amy invention constituting `the 'appended claims.

`I claim:

Yl. =A device of theicharacterdescribcd, comprising two lcontact piecesilying; fiat against each other and flaring away from each other for ashort distance inwardly from one end, a projection on one of said piecesat the other end entered of the socket the contact pieces may be turnedabout the axis of thestud so as to lie crosswise of each other, and abowed leaf spring underneath the head on the stud extending lengthwiseof and bearing at its ends on said second piece to hold it yieldinglyagainst the other piece, the spring being turnable on the stud toposition it crosswise of said contact pieces.

2. Adevice such as setjorthfinrclaim 1 where- .in .there is an interlockbetweenfon cnil of the spring and the contact piece against which itbears and which can be undone by raising that end of the spring a.predetermined distance from the 'surface of the contact piece which itengages.

3. A device ofthe character described, com- `otherand flaring away fromeach other for a shortdistance inwardly from one end, a projection `onone of said pieces at the other end entered loosely in a socket in thesecond piece to vicinity of that Vend of the second contact pice'containing `the socket, and 'saidsecondpiece'having a short projectionentered. 'loosely in s'a'id small hole in Ythe spring to 4hold "itnormally againstrturning. l I l vCLIFTON "C. WRIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The `following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 'Name v 4Date 771,239 Ga1e,jsr oct. i,u1'9'0'4 1,369,221 Currier Feb. 22,1921 1,800,756 sass- ,.Apr 1.4,Y193,1 Y2,247,282 Webb .June 24, `1941 FOREGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 21,701 ,Honan'd 1 Mar. 1e, i930

